„As far as possible solutions to this situation are concerned (the Constitutional Court is also mentioned), however, I see that the President has all the keys to resolve this situation: either to say what makes someone unsuitable or to choose a candidate from among the candidates put forward – as I understand it, several qualified candidates have been put forward – or to put forward one of his own. All options are available,“ she explained.
The politician does not rule out the possibility that the appointment of an ambassador to Poland could be frozen, as the electoral backdrop could strain the issue. However, Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen hopes that the appointment of the heads of diplomatic missions will not be held hostage to the elections.
„It is important that the most important issues for our country do not become hostages of the pre-election fights. As for the ambassador to Poland, it is certainly an important topic, an important issue that should not be taken hostage in the pre-election struggle,“ she said, reiterating that the current situation is unjustified.
Since last week, the Presidency and the ruling party have been arguing about who is to blame for the absence of an ambassador at the embassy in Poland, which is strategically vital for Lithuania. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says he has no answer about why the Lithuanian embassy in Poland is now in its fourth month without a head. The head of the country's diplomacy says he has submitted at least two ambassadorial nominations to the President, which were rejected.
For its part, the Presidency explained that the candidate proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (URM) for the post of ambassador did not speak Polish. The Head of State also pointed out that the Ministry was politicising the appointment of an ambassador to Poland and was trying to patronise certain nominees for the post.
On Wednesday, during a meeting of the Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Minister outlined the sequence of events in the selection process for the post of Ambassador to Poland. He said the search started in August 2022, but the process stalled after the names were submitted to the President. Mr Landsbergis noted that two competitions had been held for the embassy in Warsaw. In addition, Mr Nausėda had also put forward his candidates, but, according to the Minister, they were not suitable.
When the President criticised the Minister of Foreign Affairs for allegedly politicising the process of appointing ambassadors, G. Nausėda was also accused in public. The Presidency has been criticised for unclear and illogical criteria for rejecting and delaying the appointment of the head of a strategically important embassy in Poland.
Albinas Januška, a signatory of the 11 March Act, also criticised the Head of State. He argued that the President's stance was deepening the conflict between institutions. The signatory also criticised the leaking to the media of the names of seven ambassadors from the Government to the President for coordination. Finally, he did not hide his suspicion that G. Nausėda, having rejected the candidacy of Ambassador Giedrius Puodžiūnas, was „persistently pushing his candidate“.
In response to such statements, Frederik Jansons, the President's Senior Adviser, stated that the so-called „statesmen“ clan was trying to take over positions of national importance in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic service.
The Lithuanian Ambassador to Poland, Eduardas Borisovas, was recalled on 7 September at the end of his term of office.
